Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Minnesota Company Banking on Adult Stem Cell Research

A small biotech company called BioE says it has discovered an adult stem cell that appears to act a lot like embryonic stem cells. The company has cloned the rare cells and stockpiled millions of copies in its warehouse. Questions still remain about the science behind BioE's discovery. But the company is forging ahead with plans to sell its stem cells to researchers around the world.

The process is similar to that demonstrated by University of Minnesota researcher Katherine Verfaille, who did it a couple of years ago with adult stem cells from bone marrow called multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPCs (link cap tip: Stem Cell Extremist)

Some are questioning BioE's claims because it has not yet submitted its findings for peer review, a position which company president Mike Haider says is more a business decision than a scientific decision.

The company has distributed its cells to a few select researchers, including the Clinical Cell Therapy Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, which so far is showing promising results. If BioE's results can be verified, then the company expects to sell its stem cells to scientists around the world.